Solheim Cup Facts, History, Past Winners, And Format - All You Need To Know
All you need to know about the biennial tournament between the best female players from the US and Europe, held at Bernardus Golf in 2026
The Solheim Cup is one of the biggest golf events on the calendar, pitting Europe and the USA's best women golfers against each other every two years across three days.
Ahead of the 2026 contest at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, here are 20 things you might not have known about the Solheim Cup, as well as all the information on the event's history and format.
Solheim Cup Facts
1. The Solheim Cup is a biennial women’s tournament played between the USA and Europe. It is the women’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup.
2. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturers Karsten and Louise Solheim. The founders of the PING brand were instrumental in its development.
3. To begin with, the Solheim Cup was held in even-numbered years because the Ryder Cup took place in odd-numbered years. However, the 2001 Ryder Cup was postponed until 2002 after the 9/11 attacks, so the Solheim Cup switched to odd numbers from 2003 to avoid clashing.
4. The global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced another postponement of the Ryder Cup. Its next tournament was held in 2021, the same year as the Solheim Cup. After the two were played in the same year again in 2023, the Solheim Cup reverted to even-numbered years from 2024.
5. The first Solheim Cup was held in 1990 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Florida. The USA, captained by Kathy Whitworth, cruised to victory by 11.5 to 4.5 points.
Kathy Whitworth captained the US to victory in the inaugural Solheim Cup in Florida
6. Each team has 12 players. Team Europe features the two highest-ranked players in the LET Solheim Cup rankings, the top six eligible players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and four captain’s picks.
7. Team USA is selected from the top seven players on the US Solheim Cup points list, the two highest-ranked eligible players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and three captain’s picks.
8. Like the Ryder Cup, there are 28 matches in total played over three days of match play.
One point is awarded for a win and half a point is awarded to each team when a match is halved. The team that reaches 14.5 points first wins. If the teams are locked at 14-14 at the end of the Sunday singles session, the team that won the previous Solheim Cup retains the trophy.
Team USA has the most Solheim Cup titles
9. After 18 editions through 2024, the USA leads Europe 11-7, with the most recent edition ending in a 15.5-12.5 win in favor of the US.
10. There has only ever been one tie in the Solheim Cup. That came in 2023 at Finca Cortesin, when Europe retained the trophy after the match finished 14-14.
11. The tournament has never been held at the same venue twice.
Laura Davies is the record points scorer in the Solheim Cup, with 25
12. The European countries that have hosted the event are Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, Spain and, for the first time in 2026, the Netherlands. Of those, Scotland has held the match the most times, with three.
13. The record for the most Solheim Cup appearances belongs to Dame Laura Davies, who played in 12. In fact, until 2011, there had never been a Solheim Cup without Davies in it because she appeared in each of the first 12 editions.
14. Davies is also the record points scorer in the Solheim Cup, with 25.
15. European players dominate the Solheim Cup's all-time points list. Immediately beneath Davies is Annika Sorenstam with 24 points, then Catriona Matthew with 22. Cristie Kerr is the leading American with 21, level with Suzann Pettersen.
16. The youngest player in Solheim Cup history is Charley Hull, who was 17 years and 149 days old when she made her debut in 2013.
Charley Hull holds the record as the youngest player to play in the Solheim Cup
17. Following the 2024 match, there had only ever been two hole-in-ones at the Solheim Cup, achieved by Team Europe’s Anna Nordqvist in 2013 and Europe's Emily Kristine Pedersen in 2023.
18. In 2024, Rose Zhang became the eighth Solheim Cup player to finish 4-0-0 or better. She also became the first player ever to go 4-0-0 or better and not reach the 17th hole in any match.
19. The 2024 edition also produced a record-setting opening day, when the US raced into a 6-2 lead - the largest of any team after day one in the match's history (in 1990, the US led also led 6-2, but back then, the first eight matches were played over two days).
20. The trophy is made from Waterford Crystal with a mahogany wood base.
Solheim Cup Past Winners
USA leads Europe 11-7 in the list of outright Solheim Cup past winners, with the 2024 edition going to the US. Throughout the event's history, the USA triumphed in many of the early meetings. However, Europe has enjoyed more success in recent years.
What Is The Solheim Cup Format?
The Solheim Cup format sees fourball matches, foursomes matches, and singles matches.
Over the first two days, there is a morning session and an afternoon session. In each four-match session, either foursomes or fourballs is played.
Whichever format was not played in the morning is held in the afternoon. The home captain decides which way around the formats are played.
Each match is worth one point. If a team wins outright, they earn a full point, no matter the margin of victory. If the score is level after 18 holes, half a point each is awarded.
The same is true on Singles Sunday, when all 12 players go one-on-one over a maximum of 18 holes for the right to earn their team a point.
The first team to reach 14.5 points wins the Solheim Cup. If the overall score ends 14-14, the team that last won the Solheim Cup retains the trophy.
